Uganda’s New Wiretapping Law Gives Gov’t Permission to Listen In On The Gays’ Phone Calls + Texts

Uganda still hasn’t figured out whether it will pass the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, or just how harsh it will be, but in the meantime President Yoweri Museveni — at one point a major African ally to the U.S. — just signed into law the Regulation of Interception of Communications Bill, which allows the government to tap phones and other communications of private citizens if there is reason to believe they are engaged in criminal activity. (The Parliament passed the bill in July after two terrorist bombings, which killed 76.) Moreover, the law calls for all cell phone users to register their SIM cards, making them traceable. And while you’re supposed to believe only a High Court judge can grant the government authority to spy on its citizens, let’s be very clear: With homosexuality already a crime in Uganda, and the Kill The Gays bill widening the swath of people who can be implicated in homosexual activity, the law will undoubtedly be used to persecute the nation’s queers. As if the local media aren’t doing a fine job of that already.